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 One More Reason To Build Your Web Brand
Oprah's Car Club
This Team Can't Be Beat
They've Got To See It To Believe It
One More Reason To Build Your Web Brand
More car buyers are using the Internet.
That's a story that appeared in Automotive News
recently and was noted in two studies this past month that showed car buyers are flocking
to the Internet to look for cars and trucks. Seeing this news prompts the question: if
more consumers are using the Internet in their buying process, what road are they taking
to get to your Internet dealership? A random sample of referral statistics from ten of our
customer's websites show that at all ten dealerships, the dealer's web address is the #1
referral. Search engines like Google, Yahoo and MSN also factored in how consumers get to
your website. Listing services appeared only once in the top 10 referrals of the ten
dealers sampled. One interesting sample is Marc Heitz Chevrolet in Norman, Oklahoma.
A banner ad they post on SoonerSports.com accounted for the fourth most referrals to their
website during a one-week period. The Oklahoma football team is ranked 2nd in the nation
and has a rabid fan base. All of this is a reminder that if you are not already doing it,
get your web address featured prominently (a great example is ChampionSuperstore.com, which
has its own billboard campaign) because consumers shopping habits are changing to include
the web. Promoting your website will help them find you first when they "let their fingers
do the walking"-21st Century style.
Oprah's Car Club __Traffic Jam on Pontiac Website
Her book club launched many an unknown author's novel onto the best-seller list. Now
Pontiac is hoping Oprah Winfrey can do the same for its G6, 276 of which were given away
on Oprah's television show season-opener. The big spike was seen on Pontiac's website.
Pontiac.com had an 600 percent increase in traffic following the airing of the show (see
article In The News). It underscores the growing trend and number of consumers making
the Internet their choice in researching vehicles. Jupiter Research released a study
last month that showed 67 percent of new-vehicle buyers conduct online research and 22
percent use the Internet to contact dealers and complete the transaction either at the
dealership or online. J.D. Power also released a study in September showing 58 percent
of automotive Internet users begin the new-vehicle shopping process at an independent
site. Numbers like those show the increasing importance of dealer web sites and how
they serve as both a marketing and information medium.
This Team Can't Be Beat
One of Dealer Impact's goals for 2004 was to continue to build its training and support team
to be the finest in the industry. In the last month we've added even more personnel to help
us live up to our mission. You'll be hearing their names- Brock and Diana- and hearing
from them soon. Both have extensive experience in client services and training. We're
excited to keep this initiative going and hope you'll take advantage of this team.
They've Got To See It To Believe It
"Price Sells Cars" is the advertising slogan of one Midwestern dealership. In the Internet
world, "Photos Sell Cars." It's taking time, but more dealers are realizing that the more
inventory photos you can provide the more success you'll have in creating leads and
sales. It seems so elementary, but that's what consumers want. EBay is a good example of
how this works. The company will tell you that the items that sell first are the ones with
the most photos. Photos were essential to the success of EBay because "seeing is believing"
and when the buyers and sellers are hundreds or thousands of miles apart, photos build
trust. Imagine the possibilities for your dealership since the majority of the visitors to
your website are within driving distance of your dealership.
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Study: Car buyers use the Web more than ever
Lillie Guyer
Automotive News
The number of consumers who use the Internet to research new-vehicle purchases and contact
dealerships continues to grow. A shift of marketing and advertising dollars to automotive
Web sites accompanies that trend.
JupiterResearch of New York predicts that Internet-generated sales leads and requests for
price quotes will account for 22 percent of new-car sales this year. That's up from 19
percent in 2003 and 15 percent in 2002.
read more
Shark-attack surfer girl stars in Volvo viral campaign
September 22, 2004 Emma Rigby,
LONDON - Bethany Hamilton, the 14-year-old surfing champion who had her arm bitten off by
a shark, will feature in Volvo's latest TV and online branding campaign.
read more
Mother Nature Having
Banner Year
So far this year, Dealer Impact customers have dealt with earthquakes in California, hail in the
Midwest and hurricanes in the southeast (we pause for this reminder that there is no correlation
between acts of God and being a Dealer Impact customer). August and September were particularly
brutal when Hurricanes Charley, Frances, Ivan and Jeanne tore through Florida. Our customer in
Cocoa, Florida, Bob Steele Chevrolet, is located on the Atlantic coast east of Orlando. They felt
the wrath of three hurricanes over six weeks.
read more
Howard Orloff
A couple of websites that really spring to life. The home page animation features a piston
that lifts each model to top dead center. Check out this Windy City wonder.
www.orloff.com
Willey Automotive
Serving two communities, Willey's brand captures car buyers from both with its new web
system. www.willeyofames.com
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